Truth is often stranger than fiction and never more true than in the case of the Development Module vehicles for the Perentie Contract. The ARNs 50-501, 50-502 and 50-503 will be seen often in pictures as 501 being a General Maintenance Vehicle (GMV), 502 being an Electronics Repair Vehicle (ERV) and 503 being an Ambulance. However, from time to time photos of 50-501 and 50-502 will be seen as Long Range Patrol Vehicles (LRPV). To add further to the confusion, the three vehicles were originally built as Air Defence With Winch, Rapier. 50-501 in it s original configuration. Another original configuration photo (note antenna mounts on cab roof).
50-501 undergoing tilt test. 50-501 undergoing tilt test. (Note fitted with a cargo body and non standard high mounted pintle)
50-502 Trialling the Rapier System
Top: 50-501 as an LRPV. Lower: From Left to Right, 50-503 Ambulance, 50-502 ERV and 50-501 GMV (from Perentie AMB Brochure, pp4) (It is worth noting here that ARNs remain with the original vehicle for it s entire service and are never swapped between variants. However during the Bushranger Phase, some Perentie were converted to Bushranger type variants and received totally new ARNs, with the original ARN s being retired.)
Back to 501,502 & 503. These three vehicles were used in the development to production standard of the three module variants. They are therefore something of a cross between Prototypes and Development vehicles. They are not Initial Production Variants (IPV) as their fate lay elsewhere. Again as an aside the original prototype Ambulance was 50-555, originally built as a Cargo and loaned back to JRA for the development of the prototype Ambulance. 50-555 Prototype Ambulance at rear of JRA Moorebank.
Top: 50-555 Prototype Ambulance (LR110 HD 6x6 Brochure)
50-501 GMV at Victoria Barracks Paddington NSW 50-502 ERV at Victoria Barracks Paddington NSW
50-503 Ambulance at Victoria Barracks Paddington NSW 50-501 and 50-502 went on to become the development vehicles for the Long Range Patrol Vehicles of the SASR. Again, they were not the first, a LRPV being built privately by JRA utilising the fourth Perentie Trials 6x6 Vehicle retained by JRA as a reference vehicle during the trials as a donor vehicle for parts. The trials company reference vehicle was NSW registered MMQ-248. JRA Company Owned Perentie Trials Reference Vehicle.
The LRPV was developed in house by JRA utilising the remains of the 6x6 Reference vehicle and itself once agreed as the proof of concept basis for the LRPV and trialled by SASR, was scrapped and 50-501 and 50-502 built up on Commonwealth owned donor chassis as development and trials vehicles. JRA Owned Proof Of Concept LRPV based on MMQ-248 Reference 6x6 MMQ-248 being trialled by SASR in WA.
LRPV 50-001 at the rear of JRA Moorebank shortly after conversion LRPV 50-501 at the rear of JRA Moorebank shortly after conversion
50-502 at Rover Australia Rosehill NSW 1998 after having Diff Locks fitted 50-502 at Rover Australia Rosehill NSW 1998 after having Diff Locks fitted
50-502 is believed to be the only SASR LRPV left in original configuration, currently housed in the SASR Museum in Campbell Barracks, WA. All other LRPVs including 50-501 have been brought up to the latest build standard with the 50 Cal Gun Ring and other modifications. (The Land Rover LHD V8 LRPV Demo., now at Gaza Baracks Museum, Bandiana is the only other original configuration LRPV). 50-501 was used in blast tests to elicit the amount of damage an LRPV may suffer. The vehicle languished at Bandiana for a while before being totally rebuilt to current standard and returned to service. 50-501 After blast tests 50-501 After blast tests There is no current picture of 50-501 post rebuild. The status and location of 50-503 is currently unknown. It is supposed that it has been retained as an Ambulance.